Barbie doll houses are one of the most popular accessories for the Barbie doll. They are designed and produced by Mattel Inc. the same company that produces the Barbie doll. Mattel marketed the first Barbie doll house in 1962. It took on a country design which included stylishly finished tables, cupboards, carpeted rags, lambs and other trends of the time. The entire house was made from cardboard.
Barbie doll houses have since evolved to meet the changing needs that have come with changing times. The modern doll house is made from hard plastics, wood and vinyl, a change was necessitated due to the fickle nature of cardboard. By the 1970s, the houses included luxuries such as working lights, pull string elevators and even swimming pools.
Barbie doll houses come in a broad range of shapes and sizes. The number of rooms in each house varies according to each doll house model. An example is the single unit doll house-it has a small number of core rooms such as a kitchen, a bedroom, living room and a small bathroom.
More advanced models may be comprised of 3 storeys with a staircase or elevator, a gym, swimming pool and a garage. Recent designs such as the Barbie Totally Real House has separate modules as part of the overall architecture that allow for the house to be enlarged or shrunk in relation to the child's preference.
Another of the recent Barbie doll houses designs is the 3 storey Dream House which has a sizzling stove and a song playing intercom. Some even have a working door bell, shower, flushing toilet, a washer and a dryer.
When it comes to purchasing a Barbie doll house, one of the primary considerations is cost. Older model houses may cost less than the modern ones as they do not have as many add ins such as electrical fittings. There is a caveat to this though as some vintage Barbie doll houses are considered collector's items and could cost more than enough the best modern doll houses.
Another approach at minimizing your expenses is to buy a house that has little or no furnishings and then either purchasing low cost fittings or going for a do it yourself approach for the additional accessories for the house.
Start your search for the appropriate doll house online so you can easily compare the prices of the various models. Once you identify the Barbie doll houses that are of greatest interest to you, you can then visit your local store to actually see each type and see which one will be most ideal for the child.
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